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That's a very good question.
My short answer is I'd heed the counsel of the "church growth" experts and marketing gurus as closely as I could. In order to attract more people I would pay much closer attention to the trends of the culture, especially to the mainstream Christian subculture, and I would adapt my ministry practices accordingly (I'd become a Christian pragmatist). That means my pulpit ministry would need to complement "the Juvenilization of the church."
Here are a few things I would specifically do IF pastoring a large church was one of my chief goals (please view this as a pastoral parody):
1) I would Preach Shorter Sermons
We live and minister in a "sound bite" culture that is increasingly technology-orientated. As such, people have shorter attention spans (or so we're told). Did you know that on average people check their phones 110 times a day? Many, if not most Americans, take their entertainment, their recreation, and their hobbies very seriously (our Daytimers and credit card statements often reveal what our heart treasures the most-per Jesus' words in Mt. 6:21). Suffice it to say, lengthy expositions of Scripture are quite passé.
Besides, modern churchgoers have busy schedules to maintain. Worship services need to be crafted in such a way so as to not interfere too much with the activities listed above (which partially explains why some evangelicals offer Saturday & Monday night services and even "church online"). At the end of the day since "1 Peter 2:2-3 Christians" are often few and far between one should tailor their messages accordingly. The shorter the better!
2) I would Preach Lighter Sermons.
In the twenty-first century "thin is in." Sentimental, moralistic, story-driven teaching is what the masses seem to crave ("Hey, Jesus taught in parables" we're told). Theological and doctrinal preaching has the potential to bore, "needlessly" divide, or drive away far too many people. This is likely why certain passages of Scripture like 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 get lots of airtime while the remaining 47 verses are mostly ignored (especially verses 20-50). Less exposition and more antidotes and illustrations is what the masses seem to crave (evangelical fluff). Milk not meat is the choice diet of the consumer (at least a large percentage of them). Hebrews 5:12-14 church goers expect "easy on the ears" and "not too demanding on the mind" talks (i.e. "sermonettes for christianettes"). The relevant minister is a life-coach (not so much a shepherd) and a story-teller (not so much an expositor). We should think in terms of bringing a homily or a short devotional because "milk- it does a body good- pass it on."
3) I would (only) Preach Topical Sermons.
One cannot afford to spend two years preaching verse-by-verse through the book of Romans or Jeremiah when what people really want/need is "relevant teaching." Too many chapters in Scripture are irrelevant to the needs and interests of modern man (or so many believe). The topical approach to preaching gives the pastor-teacher the freedom he needs so as to not get "bogged down" by any of the "dull" and/or "offensive passages" of Scripture.
Footnote: We who know the Scriptures understand and believe that when 2 Timothy 3:16 says "ALL Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for X, Y, and Z it actually means "ALL Scripture" (verbal-plenary-inspiration). Having said that, most faithful Bible expositors admit that their are times when they have not included enough Text-driven exhortations in order to bridge the gap between the ancient world of the Text and the modern world of our hearers (but that's a blog post for another time).
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(Or, at the very least, I'd avoid the controversial texts that the average churchgoer does not want to hear or come to grips with).
One of the primary principles of business is to give the customer what they want lest they take their business elsewhere. "Have it your way" is how consumers have been conditioned to think in America. 2 Timothy 4:3 predicts a day will come when churchgoers will not "ENDURE sound doctrine." In turn, they will appoint teachers who will tell them what they want to hear. 'Ear-tickling' teachers often refrain from highlighting anything that the masses deem is distasteful or unimportant (this explains the popularity of teachers like Joel Osteen and Rob Bell). Preachers just "can't afford" to upset the masses by declaring the "whole counsel of God" (contra 2 Cor. 2:17).
In the mind of some, smaller congregations-equal smaller offerings-equal smaller budgets-equal smaller salaries. Perhaps this explains why many evangelical preachers skim over or skip altogether, large portions of Scripture. For example, what modern congregation wants to hear about marriage, divorce, and remarriage according to King Jesus (Matthew 19:1-11)? Who wants to hear sermons about biblical confrontation and church discipline (Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Cor. 5; Galatians 6:1-4)? Who comes to church these days to hear sermons about "sinners in the hands of an angry God" or the Great White Throne Judgment (Luke 16:19-31; Rev. 20-21)? Who wants to hear about God's good purposes as it relates to sexuality and gender (Genesis 5:2; 1 Cor. 6)? And who is truly interested in the doctrinal minutia of a future bodily resurrection, or the doctrine of election, or about reprobation (Romans 9-10), or ____?
While we're on this subject, how many American evangelicals want to invest four months of their life walking around in circles with the children of Israel as a preacher exposits the book of Numbers? For that matter. who comes to hear careful, verse-by-verse expositions of any books of the Bible anymore, especially if it's consecutive exposition from the Old Testament?!?
5) I would Preach Fewer Sermons.
Less is more because fewer sermons means more time and resources can be given to more important and/or more attractive activities." Remember the primary goal is numerical growth, right? "People don't come to church to hear lectures from the Bible." The Puritan age is over. Bring in the drama team and save Eutychus before it's too late (Acts 20:9). Compare this line of reason with Holy Scripture-Acts 2:41-42, 6:1-4; 2 Timothy 4:1-5; and 1 Peter 2:1-3. See also Psalm 1:1-3; 119.
CONCLUSION: I think most of you would agree that genuine reformation and revival is what every Christian church in America desires. What role did the expository pulpit play when genuine reformation and revival transformed the continent of Europe after the "dark ages?" Next time we'll contrast these 5 steps against the backdrop of Reformation history.
-Those of you who are regular readers of this blog know that I am convinced that God wants His people to work towards building healthy churches and mature Christians (per. Colossians 1:28-29; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Cor. 2-4). Bigger is not always better just as smaller does not necessarily mean more biblical. All of our ministries will measured against the Divine standard. (Note what the Lord of the Church commends and what He rebukes in Revelation 2-3; Jesus' Letters to 7 Churches. Everything King Jesus addresses in these letter is spiritual in nature. He does not talk about building programs, how full the parking lot is, or how large the annual budget is).
